Turn Loose the Faries
by CresentCrimzonMoon
Summary: Ever wonder what Natsu dreams? Natsu starts having a nightmare and refuses to go to sleep, which interferes with a job. Eventually, sleep gets the better of him and the dream replays itself . . . only this time, Natsu seems to be stuck in his dream! Not only can't he wake up, but someone steals his scarf! Will he get it back and find a way to wake up? And who is this singing thief?
1. The Precious Scarf Stolen!

**Crimzon: I wouldn't really call this a song-fic, but what I will say is that it's a short fanfic (maybe a few chapters long, or a little longer). I got this idea listening to the song Turn Loose the Mermaids by Nightwish. I freakin love that song! I don't want to give too much away,** **but a character (who shall remain nameless for the time being) sings this song in random parts. Why she sings this will remain a mystery until it's explained in future chapters. Also, there is one other song by Nightwish called I Want My Tears Back which also had some involvement with this story, but those lyrics will not be mentioned . . . but if you listen to it, tell me the instrumental reminds you of Fairy Tail! Lol, anywho, here's the first chapter! I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR THE SONG BY NIGHTWISH! . . . ALSO REVIEW! . . . please :D **

**PS: This is set after the 7 years, before the magic tournament stuff . . . in case anyone was wondering**

**~Turn Loose The Mermaids~**

**_~General POV~_**

"Ugh," sighed Lucy as she slumped down in one of the bar stools at Fairy tail guild. She had just come back from a job with Natsu. It's obvious from the look on her face that it didn't go well.

"Welcome back, Lucy," greeted Mirajane. She walked over with an old dish rag and started wiping down the counter top. Lucy sighed in response and slouched over, spreading her arms across the counter. "Oh dear, what happened?" she asked sympathetically.

"Natsu kind of went a little over board," stated Lucy in a glum tone.

"And by 'a little,' you mean . . ."

"He managed to blow up an entire block while trying to chase down the guys we were supposed to catch. We caught them, but the damages were so extensive, we had to give up most of the reward money to pay for it," she sobbed.

"Ne, Luuuuuucy!" Happy floated over with a starved expression on his face.

"What is it, Happy?"

"I want fiiiiiiish!" he whined.

Lucy didn't bother with a response. Instead she turned in her seat and leaned against the counter. She looked around the now tiny guild, not really paying much attention to anything. It's when her eyes landed on a certain Dragon Slayer that she started paying attention. Natsu sat at one of the tables with his head resting on his arms. _He sleeps as if he hasn't a care in the world!_ She thought. As quickly as that thought came, it was gone. The expression on his face was calm, like that of a sleeping child. He almost seemed cute.

"Poor Natsu," mumbled Happy. Lucy looked over at the blue Exceed while he chewed away at a half eaten fish.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Natsu hasn't been getting much sleep lately," he stated.

"Why? Is he OK?" she asked, sudden;y feeling concern for her nakama.

"He keeps having nightmares," he stated through another mouthful of fish. Lucy turned back to look at the Dragon Slayer and wondered, _what kind of nightmare can scare Natsu?_

"Sometimes he wakes up yelling out Igneel's name," added Happy. Lucy then understood. Natsu has spent most of his life trying to find his foster father, a dragon names Igneel. Lucy suddenly felt bad for her earlier thoughts. He does have worries, like trying to find Igneel. That left Lucy with another question.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about now?"

_~With Natsu~_

Natsu was tired. The fact that he couldn't sleep was irritating enough, but to actually fall asleep while chasing down some thieves pissed him off. According to Lucy, he somehow fell asleep while chasing them and managed to cause a lot of damage to the city. In the end, they had to give up the reward money in order to pay for the damages. He felt bad that that happened, especially since Lucy kept complaining on the way home about losing all that money and not being able to pay for her rent. Sure, he apologized and the guilt was more than he could bear, but her complaining did get on his nerves too. Of course, he didn't mention that to an already steamed Lucy.

Once they arrived back at the guild, Natsu couldn't help but feel completely exhausted. The moment they walked in and he spotted an empty table, he made a bee line straight to it and made himself comfortable. He slumped over, crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down. His eyes felt heavy and he could hardly keep them open. The last thing he could possible think of while his hazy mind slowly shut down was: _I don't want to have that dream again . . ._

He wasn't sure of what happened next. He felt calm, serene, and glad that this wasn't turning out like one of his usual dreams. He breathed in deep and exhaled. As he did that, he felt a cold breeze surround him. He felt warmth from the sun rain down on his skin. He could tell he was lying on his back, but he wasn't sure of what is was. He could tell that it wasn't a smooth surface. It felt lumpy and rough, almost scaly. Every now and then, he'd hear a low rumble like sound that reminded him of thunder. What bothered him about this sound though was that is came from below him, not above him where he assumed the sky was. Another thing, whenever he'd hear the low rumbling, he could feel it rumble from under him as well.

For some reason, he didn't think much of it. Instead of being confused or scared, he felt comfort in this weird environment. He was so tired that he didn't care about why this all felt weird. That's when Natsu realized something that he was trying to avoid. This was a dream. What makes matters worse was that this is how all his nightmares would start.

He opened his eyes and woke up to the clear blue sky. Puffy white clouds would occasionally pass by. Natsu sat up and it took him a while to realize where he was. He stood up and noticed the thing he was standing on was flying. He turned around and that's when he saw what this 'thing' was. It was a dragon! Before he had the chance to say anything, the dragon suddenly became intangible.

"Eh?" Natsu floated for a few seconds before falling. As he fell, he took a good look at the transparent dragon. "Igneel!" he shouted, trying to grab his attention. Natsu unconsciously reached out with his arm as he fell, thinking that maybe he could reach his foster father. Natsu continued to yell, but there was no point. The transparent Igneel disappeared only mere seconds after Natsu started calling out to him. Realizing he was now gone, like in every dream, he continued to plummet to earth. Any normal person would be screaming at the top of their lungs right now, but he didn't see the point since it was only a dream. He'd wake up any second now.

As Natsu watched the clouds appear to get farther and farther away, he realized something. _Shouldn't I be waking up now?_ he thought. With annoyance in his expression, he turned over and noticed how much closer to the earth he was. He can already make out the tall pine trees.

"Wake up," he told himself, but he continued to fall and even fell passed a couple of birds. "Wake. Up," he said, more stern this time. He grew more impatient as the forest grew closer and closer to him.

"Wake. Up. Wake. Up!" he exclaimed, panic filling his tone. _Why aren't I waking up?!_ his thoughts roared as the trees were much closer than mere seconds ago. A comic expression of fear and irritation was plastered on his face as the thought _'you're really falling'_ crossed his mind.

And thus, the manic screaming began.

"WAKE UP!" he continued to yell as he continued to fall. He finally reached the the tall trees and fell into the forest.

"Oof! Ow! Ah! Ow!" Natsu yelped as his body hit random branches. He saw the ground approaching and that's when an idea hit him._ The moment I hit the ground, the jolt will wake me up!_

He then spread his arms out wide and with a smile, welcomes the oncoming ground. He started counting down in his head, glad that in a few seconds, he was going to wake up and find himself back at the guild. Seconds passed and something happened . . . something Natsu wasn't expecting. He hit the ground, creating a Natsu shaped hole that was a couple of feet deep.

_~With a Mysterious Figure~_

_"A kite above a graveyard gray,_

_at the end of the line, far far away._

_A child holding onto the magic of birth and awe"_

A hooded figure was singing in a sweet tone as she walked through the forest. After singing those few lines, she brought a tiny wooden flute to her lips and began playing a melody that was part of the song. Dawned on her was an old hooded cloak with mismatched patches. The hood covered her face in shadow so all you could see was the bottom half of her face.

She stopped playing the flute and was about to start the next part of the song when something in the sky caught her eyes. From where she was, it looked like a body falling from the sky and whoever he was, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Not wanting to be discovered, she hid herself behind a tree and next thing she knew, a loud thump like impact was heard not to far from her. Looks like the boy landed.

Letting curiosity get the better of her, she peaked from behind the tree and noticed a hole in the ground in the shape of the boy. She looked from side to side, looking to see if there was anyone else around. It was completely deserted. She walked out from behind the tree and towards the tiny shaped crater.

As she approached, she can hear groaning. She peered into the crater and got a good look of him. Tall, maybe around her height. He looked maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. Short, pink, and spiky hair and slightly tan skin. His clothes were odd to her. For some reason, one of his sleeves were gone. His one exposed arm had an odd marking in red. She wasn't sure what it was or of what, but it did seem familiar to her.

She stood up straight, deep in thought. She was trying to remember where she had seen that marking before. It's then that she realized where she had seen it before.

"He's . . . one of them? How is that possible?" she wondered aloud. That's when something he was wearing caught her eyes. She leaned down into the crater and reached for the scarf. "It's made of scales?" she murmured as she unwrapped it from his neck and held it up to the light. The scarf almost shimmered in the light and it made the mysterious girl smile. She looked back down at the boy and her smile grew.

"It seems like a precious item to him," she chuckled. "Maybe I'll have some fun."

The mysterious girl then wrapped the scarf over the cloak around her neck and started to walk away, into the darkness of the forest. All the while, she hummed the tune to her earlier song.

**Crimzon: It's short, but oh well. I'll try to make the next chapter even longer. I first intended this to be a one-shot, but considering I don't want to overwhelm anyone with a looooooooong chapter, I decided to make this maybe five or so chapters long. We'll see how it progresses. Anywho, please review and until next time!**


	2. A Strange World

**Crimzon: hey all! Thanks for the reviews guys. I'm starting this thing where I try to respond to some reviews. No offense to those who dont get a response lol but I'm not gona respond to "update please" or "this is great, can't wait for next chappie" or anything along the lines of that lol. It's one of those things everyone says. I'm not saying its awful or anything, just that there's nothing to respond to.**

**_Naturesshadows: _****Haha, I'm glad the descriptions were good, I had a lot of trouble trying to put into words what I had imagined in my mind, but I'm glad it turned out ok.**

_**GoldenRose Tanya: **_**lol that reminded me of that cat from Puss in Boots that would go "ooooooo" **

**Well anywho, here's the next chapter. Please review and I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR THE SONG BY NIGHTWISH!**

**~Turn Loose the Mermaids~  
**

**_~General POV~_  
**

Natsu groaned as the pain from the impact ran rampant across his body. His eyes were slightly blurred and his ears were ringing. One moment, he's blacking out and the next, he vaguely remembers a dark figure standing over him holding something. It took him seconds to realize what the figure was holding: His scarf! he tired to say something and take it back, but it all came out as another groan. Moments before he lost consciousness again, the person disappeared with his treasured scarf. Last thing he heard was someone humming a sweet tune.

_~Moments Later~_

"Ne, ne, I heard the crash from over there!" Natsu was still mostly out of it, but he could vaguely hear voices.

"I wonder what it could have been?" asked another voice. From what Natsu could tell, there were three voices and they all sounded awfully familiar.

"Well, would you look at that," one said with a deep voice. "Looks like someone fell out of the sky."

_"They make it sound like it's a normal thing,"_ Natsu thought.

"Is it dead?" asked another with a higher pitch voice. Natsu then felt something poke him in the ribs (a stick) which caused him to let out another groan. "Ah, it's alive."

"Should we report this to the Fairy King?"

"Of course we should, Lily!"

_"Huh, Lily? Wait, those voices!"_ Natsu bolted up to a sitting position. A goofy grin spread across his face at the sight of the familiar faces in front of him.

"Ah, Happy! Charla! Lily!" he exclaimed happily.

The three Exceeds stood there, confusion plastered on their faces.

"How do you know our names?" asked Charla. Natsu couldn't believe those words as they reached his ears.

"What? It's me! Natsu!" he practically yelled, astonishment in his tone.

"If you're trying to imply that we somehow know you, then you're greatly mistaken," Charla stated bluntly.

"What are you talking about, Charla?" asked Natsu. He then looked pleadingly at Happy, his best friend. "Happy, you know me . . . right?" The blue Exceed stood there and brought up his paw to his head as he thought about his response. Everyone seemed to crowd around him in anticipation. That's when Happy's eyes widened.

"Aye! You're a fish!" As if on cue, everyone face-palmed.

"Happy, it's obvious he isn't a fish," stated Lily.

"Then, he's a flying fish! He fell out of the sky while he was trying to learn to fly!" he deducted in a happier tone.

"Happy," started Charla.

"Aye?"

"Stop talking."

"Aye . . ." Happy mumbled with ears drooped.

"As I was about to say, who are you? Where are you from? How do you know our names?" asked Charla. Natsu sighed and thought for a moment. For some reason, this reminded him of when he was transported to Edolas. Only this time, even the Exceeds don't seem to know who he is.

_"Is this some other world?" _he thought. Natsu thought it was weird. One moment, he's sleeping in the guild and next, he's falling out of the sky. What makes it more weird is that this all started out as a dream. He looked down at the three Exceeds and started telling them what he knew.

"So, you were sleeping on a Dragon's back when all of a sudden, it disappeared and you fell into the forest?" questioned Charla.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up," stated Natsu. The three shared a look with each other and Charla nodded.

"It's safe to assume that you are not from around here, are you?" asked Lily. Natsu looked at the surrounding forest. He crossed his arms and inhaled deeply.

_"That's weird, nothing smells familiar. Where the hell am I?"_

"No, I guess not," answered Natsu.

That's when the three Exceeds looked at each other and got into a huddle. Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion. For some reason, even though he was in a strange world, he didn't feel like he should panic. Maybe he feels calm because of Happy, Charla, and Lily being here . . . even though they don't know who he is. If only he could figure out what the hell is going on.

_"If only Lucy were here. She'd probably be able to figure this out. She is smart and stuff . . ." _Just that thought suddenly made Natsu feel guilty. he thought back to the job he took with Lucy.

_~Flashback~_

_"Damnit Natsu! Can't you go one day without destroying something?!"__  
_

_"I'm sorry, Luce . . ." he apologized. He really did feel guilty, but the fact that Lucy kept complaining over and over irritated him. Though he decided to just take the yelling instead of making it worse by pointing it out to Lucy that she was annoying. It's then that he heard Lucy mutter something that made his heart squeeze in pain.  
_

_"Maybe I'll go alone for the next job . . . I wont be able to make the rent or . . ."  
_

_~End Flashback~_

_"I should try apologizing once I get back . . . now, how do I do that?"_ _  
_

Natsu looked back to the Exceeds and could barely make out what they were saying.

"He could be the one," muttered Lily.

"We don't know that for sure," argued Charla.

"B-But he fell out of the sky like in the story!" exclaimed Happy.

"Admit it, Charla. We need help and this _traveler_ might be the help we've been praying for," stated Lily. Charla remained quiet this time. With a sigh, she turned back to Natsu with a determined look.

"I have a request, Natsu-san."

"Hmm?"

"If you help us with an important matter, then we'll help you with your situation," she stated. Natsu thought it through carefully. He realized that he didn't have much of a choice. If it means finding a way getting back home then he'd help them. Besides, regardless of the situation, he'd help either way. He's a Fairy Tail Mage after all and he can't turn away someone who needs help.

"I accept."

_~Moments Later~_

"So, what do you need help with?" asked Natsu.

"Well, it all started some time ago. our land was peaceful until our great protector disappeared." Pantherlily sighed then looked over to Charla, asking silently to take over.

"An evil queen came to our land soon after and over threw our king. She'd mistreat us and even enslaved some of us. Anyone else still out there either serve her or are in hiding," explained Charla. Natsu looked at the three with a solemn expression.

"Well, just point me in her direction and I'll kick her ass!" he said in an energetic tone.

"That's great that you're feeling confident," Lily sweat-dropped. "But that isn't what's going to solve our problem."

"Then what do you need me to do?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, first things first, we need to get you to the Fairy King. There, he'll explain the situation in better detail and then give you your mission," explained Charla. Natsu nodded in agreement and stood up.

"Um . . . Natsu-san?" Natsu looked down and noticed Happy looking up at him. It was so weird hearing him call his name in such a formal way.

"Uh, what is it?"

"That's a pretty bad scar," he stated bluntly. Happy was pointing up at Natsu's neck where he had the small scar from when he was a child.

"Hmm, oh that-" Natsu stopped mid-sentence. He reached up and felt the area around his neck. Pantherlily and Charla looked up at Natsu, wondering why he looked like he was about to start panicking. "Where? Where is it?" he murmured to himself as he scanned the ground around him. He then turned to the Natsu-shaped hole and dived in, continuing his search in the cramped space.

"Did I say something wrong?" wondered Happy. Charla and Lily ignored his comment and peered into the hole.

"Did you lose something, Natsu-san?" asked Charla.

"My scarf, I can't find it!"

"Your scarf?" mumbled Happy.

"Did it slip off when you fell?" asked Lily.

"No, no I still had it when I passed out, but . . ." Natsu trailed off as the image of the shadowy person flashed in his mind. Then he remembered the singing. "That girl . . ." he mumbled.

"Girl?" the three Exceeds said simultaneously.

"Yeah, I didn't see what she looked like, but I saw her holding my scarf when I blacked out. I think she took it!" he exclaimed. The three shared a look and Happy spoke up.

"Did you hear singing when you saw her?" Natsu's eyes widened. He didn't think the singing was relevant.

"Yeah, she was."

"Well, looks like you're a victim of a Siren," stated Pantherlily.

"A Siren? You mean like a Mermaid?"

"Nope, those are different," answered Happy. Natsu looked at them completely confused. He always thought they were the same thing. Suddenly, Charla looked around at the trees, looking for something that wasn't there.

"We shouldn't stay here," she shuddered.

"But, my scarf!"

"Shh! We'll help you find your scarf, but first let's get you out of here," she said sternly.

"But-"

"We'll explain about your scarf on the way," Charla interrupted. Reluctant, Natsu shut up and followed the group as they made their way into the trees. The further they walked, the darker it became. Natsu tried asking where they were going a couple of times, but that only earned him an angry glare from Charla as she told him silently to keep quiet. He more or less complied. As they continued down the narrow trail, Pantherlily changed his form, growing bigger and approached a giant boulder blocking the path. He started pushing the giant rock out of the way and slowly managed to roll it out of the way. Natsu could barely see, but managed to make out that the thing in front of them was the mouth of a cave.

"We're going in there?" Natsu asked, feeling somewhat apprehensive. For some reason, he felt something uneasy about it.

"Shh!" snapped Charla as she continued to walk towards the cave. Pantherlily changed back to his small stature and followed after her. With slight hesitation, Natsu followed after them.

_~With Mysterious Figure~_

_"Oh how beautiful it used to be, just you and me  
_

_far beyond the sea.  
_

_The water's scarce in motion, quivering still~"  
_

The figure continued to sing her song as he walked through the dark forest. She continued to fiddle with the ends of the scarf as a smile formed on her face.

_"At the end of the river~_

_the sundown beams. All the relics of a life long lived~  
_

_Here weary traveler, rest your wand.  
_

_Sleep the journey from your eyes~"  
_

As she finished the chorus, she fell silent. She stopped dead in her tracks as the realization that she wasn't alone struck fear into her. The figure stood absolutely still as she listened for where her stalker could be.

"Still singing that song I see," taunted a familiar voice. The girl let out an embarrassing squeak as she turned around, noticing that her 'stalker' was now standing right behind her.

"Gajeel! You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" she snapped as she tried to slow her heart beat back down to safe levels.

"Maybe you should start paying more attention to your surroundings," he argued, keeping his trade mark grin. The mysterious girl crossed her arms and pouted.

"What do you want, Gajeel?" she asked.

"Nothing really, just to warn you." His tone went from taunting to serious and worry. The girl looked back up at her friend and listened. "They're looking for you and this time, they're serious."

"What's so different this time? I've managed to dodge their advances for a couple of years now, so-"

"You're one of the relics . . . they're becoming more desperate in trying to find you, especially since you're the only one remaining."

"What? That means that . . ."

"Yeah, they captured Loki just the other day. Had I been in that area, I could have prevented it . . ." Gajeel stated solemnly. The girl looked up at him as the seriousness of the situation finally sank in.

"Alright, thanks for telling me, Gajeel." After thanking him, she turned to start walking away. Gajeel kept his serious expression, not allowing himself to crack a smile as he saw through the girl's facade. He could tell that deep down, she was terrified. Something then caught his eyes and without realizing it, he reached out and grabbed it.

"Hey!" complained the girl as he gripped the scarf, pulling her back and causing her to stumble back.

"What's this?" he questioned.

"This? I uh, found it . . ." she trailed off.

"So, you stole it?" he corrected. The girl then threw him an embarrassed glare and looked away. She slapped away Gajeel's hand and stepped back.

"I'm just having a little fun, that's all."

"You Sirens never change," Gajeel scoffed.

"That has nothing to do with it!" she defended.

"Then what up with the scarf?"

The girl pondered over her response for a moment while bringing up the ends of the scarf to her face, taking in the strange scent.

"This scarf belongs to a _traveler_," she stated, putting emphasis on the last word.

"Traveler?" Gajeel repeated to himself. It took him moments, but it finally dawned on him the meaning of that word. "You're kidding, _he's _here?!"

"Yeah, he's finally come . . . he can save us from these dark times," she said, her voice low.

"Way to make this more depressing than it needs to be," Gajeel stated. He then sighed and scratched the back of his head in irritation. "Well, once word of this gets out, I bet you anything that they'll be doubling the search for you. You think it's bad now, just wait . . ." Gajeel partially joked as he chuckled his signature chuckle. Then he noticed the look of sorrow in the girl's eyes and his laughter died down. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. "Sorry, but I'm just trying to make sure you understand how serious this is, considering you're the last relic."

"I know. You're just trying to look after me and I appreciate it. I know how hard it must be for you since you're one of their top Hunters."

_"That's right, Gajeel's working as a double agent for the king, meaning he has to follow orders given from the current queen. it's more difficult than it seems, especially for him. Not too long ago, Levy (one of the relics) and I were on the run. Whenever they got too close on our trail, Gajeel would cover our tracks and direct them in a different direction. The plan worked just fine, until we got caught in a trap. Somehow, Levy helped me escape while she stayed behind. They were already suspicious of Gajeel and she thought that maybe if he proved himself to be a loyal Hunter, then their suspicions would fade. Her plan worked, much to Gajeel's complaining. he didn't agree with that she did, but couldn't argue with her. He continued to play his role as a Hunter."_

"How's Levy?" she asked.

"She's alright. They wont mistreat her because she's a relic," he sighed. "As long as you don't get caught, they wont do anything to her or the other relics."

"Yeah, thanks again, Gajeel. You should probably head back before they get suspicious," the girl stated.

"Psh, who are you to order me around?" he smirked. The girl smiled then turned around and continued into the shadows of the forest. As she left, she could have heard Gajeel murmur something under his breath, but she brushed it off.

" . . . Be careful . . ." he had said.

_"That's a little out of character for him to say,"_ thought the girl as a slight chuckle escaped her lips.

**Crimzon: Well, there you have it! Please review and look forward to the next chapter!**

**Happy: Aye! Review so I can get more fish!  
**

**Crimzon: . . . . why would you get fish if they review?  
**

**Charla: He's hoping you'll reward him with fish if he tells them to review.  
**

**Crimzon: . . . Well review everyone!  
**

**Happy: Fish please!  
**

**Crimzon: -raises eyebrow then walks away-  
**


	3. Fairy Land

**Crimzon: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I was so happy to read them that I just had to get started on the next chapter!  
**

**Charla: But she was too lazy to type it up earlier so that is why it's late.**

**Crimzon: -sweat drop- well then, here we go. (****Also, I finally got the perfect idea for this fanfic and so I changed the title of it. Of course the song has something to do with the plot and my original idea had to do with mermaids ... then I kept thinking about it and well, now I have a better idea and it makes more sense.)**

**_Naturesshadows:_****lol you're welcome. And let me just say this. I want to keep this as mysterious as possible until the very last moment (later chapters). That's just how I write. I will say though that the whole thing with relics and such will be explained in this chapter and the name of this world is . . . well, it's in this chapter too unless you haven't already figured it out *cough-chapter name-cough* Remember, this is only chapter three so of course there wont be much explained in the first two haha. Hmm, will the guild even find out? Will they just continue with their usual day to day shenanigans? Will they simply assume Natsu is just taking a nap? Who knows what'll happen? Again, that'll be kept a mystery until the end. And thank you, I'm happy they turned out alright. I was worried I might butcher their personalities.**

**_dang regacho:_ Um, I'm going to try and answer this without giving too much away so I will say that the sleeping Natsu in the guild is the one who is in the mysterious world. Basically his subconscious was sent there and his body was left behind to catch up on sleep (since it can't really do much else haha). So his subconscious (or soul or whatever your imagination comes up with) took on a solid form in this new world . . . I hope that answers your question.**

**_Yuni-sama_:**** there is no other other Lucy . . . or other other other Lucy . . . or other Lucy . . . I think I just confused myself aha. Anyway, just read and it'll all make sense . . . eventually.**

**Crimzon: Anyways, thanks to the wonderful reviews and such. You guys are awesome! Anywho, please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Happy: Crimzon does NOT own Fairy Tail or the song by Nightwish, aye!**

**~General POV~  
**

Natsu continued to follow the Exceeds down a long tunnel. On the walls hung old rusted lanterns that would spontaneously light up as they approached them. The eerie vibe that Natsu felt before entering the cave was gone and he still couldn't explain what it was. **  
**

"Because of the circumstances, we have to be well hidden," Charla spoke up in the silence.

"As you may have noticed earlier, we had to take certain precautions," added Lily.

"Well, that explains that weird feeling," murmured Natsu.

"Aye, we carved special talismans into the trees near the cave. Anyone who get too close start feeling sick." Happy flew up to Natsu's shoulder and hung there, "If they start going into the cave, they explode!" he finished as he mimicked an explosion with his tiny arms. The slightly shocked look on Natsu's face brought out a satisfied chuckle from the blue Exceed.

"Does that mean that I might . . ."

"You're fine now, aren't you?" asked Lily.

"Well, yeah-"

"Then don't worry about exploding," Charla quickly stated. Natsu scowled, but decided not to question it. Just knowing that he wasn't going to be splattered all over the walls was good enough for him.

Lily subtly looked up at the stranger. The fact that he was able to get anywhere near the entrance to their hide-out was a feat all on it's own, but the fact that he was in the cave without showing any sign of fatigue was impressive.

"When the Fairy King went into hiding, he used his own magic to create a barrier around this area. In order to keep the Queen's suspicions from reaching us, we put our own magic talismans into making the barrier. That way, this one area wouldn't seem as suspicious. Whenever the Queen's Hunters close in on this area, all they find is a dead-end. They don't get suspicious or anything. They just have the thought that there is nothing there and have the sudden urge to search somewhere else. Anyways, Happy wasn't entirely wrong when he said that if an outsider should try to explore closer to the cave, then the outcome wouldn't work in their favor. In fact, the only thing that protected you from the cave's 'curse' was the mark of the fairies," explained Lily as he pointed up at the tattoo on Natsu's arm. Natsu looked down at his guild mark and nodded, but said nothing. He seemed to be in deep thought.

_"This boy has that mark which only proves that he is indeed the hero we've been praying for."_

Lily averted his eyes as a sudden realization stuck him. Shortly after the take over, a prophecy was told by Cana, a witch, that a traveler would save the Fairies and take back the land from the wicked Queen. This 'story's' ending was unclear and Cana was only able to find two possible outcomes. The first was that it'll end with the traveler being triumphant while the Fairies rejoice in their freedom. The second one was less optimistic . . . the traveler dies trying to protect a Relic.

_~With Gajeel~_

"Keh, what a pain in the ass," the young Hunter complained as he climbed the steps to the palace. The large castle-like building carried with it a depressing atmosphere. The tall, stark white building held no memory of it's previous appearance. It used to be a tall, winding tree with branches that spread out as far as the eye could see. All around those branches were smaller buildings that were apart as the rest of the great castle. Fields of colorful flowers surrounded the area around the great tree. Those flowers would actually only grow in the area around the tree because of the great amount of magic that was settled here. Those flowers were called Rainbow Lilys and were said to absorb the magic that would flow from the roots of the great tree. Because of the magic, those flowers developed a special healing ability that no one ever really understood well. No one has been able to mimic it with their own magic either. Further past the large field of Rainbow Lilys was the dense forest where most of the world's inhabitants lived. Those trees would form this elaborate houses on their thick branches and the people were more than happy to live in them.

Gajeel's momentary smile quickly faded as his memory of this once great land shattered and he gazed upon what the aftermath was. Once the Queen invaded the land, the Great Tree was drained of all it's magic until there was nothing left but hollow bark. The Rainbow Lilys perished shortly afterward. With their supply of magic taken away, they quickly reverted to ordinary flowers which were later trampled into nothing with the constant battle. Now, the field is nothing more but dirt and rocks. The surrounding forest - - home to the citizens - - were burned away until it was nothing but ash. Any tree still standing was just a thin, twig-like structure that struggles to stand tall in the harsh wind.

When the King was weakened by the Queen's dark power, he was forced to flee into hiding, taking any magic that was left with him. It was that last drop of magic that protected what was left of the tree. This caused it to dissipate into nothing which later gave the Queen a chance to rebuild her own castle. Now, it's nothing but a tall, square building with a desolate waste land surrounding it.

Although Gajeel couldn't care less about the scenery, he made an exception. This was all a constant reminder of the fact that he wasn't able to protect his home. He hated having to force the King into hiding when he wanted to keep fighting. His guards, Gajeel being one of them, came to the conclusion that it would be better to fall back. King Makarov was already close to death because of this war and they couldn't afford to lose their King. With each passing day, he grew more weak and even resorted to sealing what was left of his magic within a staff so it wouldn't dissipate. Gajeel and a few others from the main Guard felt that they needed to do something just to have a better advantage in this war . . . to make up for their failure. That's when Gajeel decided to infiltrate the enemy by becoming their weapon. Much to Makarov's dismay, he let them go in undercover as Hunters.

In the end, only three from the main guard were chosen for this mission, Gajeel being one of them. He hardly sees them considering the Queen always had them out on the mission looking for the last Relic.

"Yo, Gajeel." He looked up and smirked at one of his fellow Hunters now.

"Laxus," Gajeel greeted as he reached the top of the stair case. They both then started walking through the arched doorway into the main hall.

"So, how'd it go?" Laxus asked. In the time they've been undercover, they've come up with a series of secret messages they relayed to each other which were hidden within simple statements or questions much like the one Laxus just voiced. What he really asked was, _"You talk to Lucy?" _Gajeel gave him a side glance then hunched his shoulders in irritation.

"Mission was unsuccessful." Laxus gave a small smirk as the real answer appeared in his mind, _"Yeah, I told her to be careful."_

"How's it going here?" asked Gajeel. _"How are the Relics?" _Laxus tried to hide his chuckle when he realized Gajeel seemed more concerned over the tiny Relic, Levy than the others. It wasn't really clear, but he seemed to have a soft spot for her. Laxus sighed then and grabbed Gajeel by the arm, leading him into a nearby closet. Gajeel arched an eyebrow at his comrade, wondering why he'd drag him into such an enclosed space. Gajeel suddenly felt a pang of worry when he realized that Laxus has yet to answer his question.

"You can talk freely. I put up a small barrier, but it's only temporary, so - -"

"What happened?" Gajeel interrupted. Laxus hesitated with his response then sighed.

"There was an incident earlier today," he said.

"What the hell happened?" Gajeel was slowly losing his patience.

"Levy got hurt."

Something seemed to snap within Gajeel as he pushed past Laxus and reached for the door only to be pulled back before he could leave the safety of the barrier.

"Don't blow your cover, Gajeel. Try to keep your calm," he sighed. "I had a feeling you'd react this way so I arranged for the dungeon to be clear of guards so you can go, just be quick. "

Gajeel nodded his thanks as he rushed out of the closet and towards the dungeon.

Laxus walked out as he snapped his fingers, causing the barrier to disappear. He stood there, watching Gajeel run off towards the dungeon and couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Laxus!" A cold chill seemed to run down the Hunter's spine as he recognized the voice that called his name. Trying to compose himself, he looked over his shoulder at the three soldiers that were assigned to his command. When Laxus signed up for the undercover gig, he didn't expect to have to deal with the three stooges.

"Laxus-san, what were you doing in that broom closet with Gajeel-san?" questioned one. His name is Freed. The one who called his name earlier was Evergreen.

"Haha! You _know _what they were _doing,_" joked the third, Bickslow. Evergreen and Freed seemed to turn to stone from shock and then, the irritating rants started.

"Laxus-san! Say it isn't so!" Freed exclaimed.

"It isn't so," Laxus calmly stated as he scratched his ear.

"You could do soo much better than someone like Gajeel!" shouted Evergreen. Laxus merely glared at the two for making crazy assumptions. Without any further words, he started walking away towards his next assignment while trying to ignore the ranting of the two soldiers and the laughter of the third.

_~With Gajeel~_

Gajeel dashed down the stairs and into the dungeon, but not before making sure the coast was clear. Laxus was right, the place was completely lacking in guards. Quickening his pace, Gajeel continued down the cobblestone path, passing by the cells in the process. Some were empty, others were occupied. The few prisoners that were being held here were either random war criminals or traitors. As Gajeel walked down the long corridor, he noticed how there were less prisoners today than before.

"Seems like _her majesty _has been busy the past few days," he said with scorn.

Gajeel reached the end of the hall and came up to a strong iron door with a unique key hole. He pulled out a ring of keys and picked out an old and rusted key with a special red stone embedded in it. Above the lock on the door was a similar stone and as he slipped in the key, both stone began to glow and then, he heard a click as the locks inside the door were disarmed. The iron door squeaked open as he walked into a wide and dark hallway. Unlike the cells from the front which were nothing more but metal bars, these cells were special. They were doors, much like the one Gajeel just walked through. Inside each cell was a small room that was only big enough to hold a cot with a blanket and pillow, a sink and toilet. There was also a small, rectangular window only big enough to let some air in. These cells were specially made to contain each Relic's magic type. The Queen placed a type of spell that caused each room to drain the Relic of their magic. Not enough to kill them, but enough to weaken them. Not only that, but they were sound proof so they wouldn't be able to hear anything from the outside. They were completely cut off from the world.

Gajeel made a bee line to the first door on the left and pulled out a smaller iron key with a tiny blue stone. Gajeel pushed open the heavy door and the first thing he heard was a startled gasp from Levy.

"Oi, it's me!" Gajeel stated, trying to hide his worry. It's then that he noticed her broken form. She had bandages wrapped tightly around her frail arms and another going around her forehead and then covering her left eye. He also noticed a thicker bandage on her cheek with a small hint of a bruise forming under it. Her eyes were red, probably from crying.

Levy stared at him for the longest time, as if trying to distinguish dream from reality. It's when Gajeel turned to close the door, a pair of small arms wrapped around his waist. Slightly startled, Gajeel froze, "H-Hey, what are you - -" his voice faded when he saw just how upset she was as tears rushed passed her eyes. Gajeel sighed and gently pulled away from Levy then motioned for her to sit down. It's then that he realized just how much it was hurting her just to stand. "What the hell happened?"

"It happened this morning," Levy sniffed as she whipped away her tears. Gajeel walked over and grabbed her blanket, tossing it over the small Relic. He then walked back and leaned against the wall across from her. Levy nodded her thanks as she pulled the blanket closer, "Loki was being taken to the Queen for questioning when one of the guards did something . . . unexpected. He broke the stones from the keys which opened our cell doors. I'm not really sure why, but we all tried to escape even though we knew we were too weak to fight out way through," she smiled weakly. "As you may have noticed, it didn't turn out well."

"Who was the guard?" asked Gajeel. Levy hiccuped then looked down at her feet.

"It was Droy . . . I guess he wasn't a traitor after-all," she smiled sadly. Gajeel was at a loss for words for once. Gajeel closed his eyes, already sure of the punishment for Droy's actions.

When the war started, quite a few betrayed the King to join the Queen, one of which was Droy . . . in the end, he was just trying to help.

"We were at a great disadvantage . . . especially since _he _was there," Levy shuddered.

"Who?"

"Daemon . . . he was there in seconds and threw us back into our cells . . . but not without 'teaching us a lesson' first." Gajeel started grinding his teeth in irritation. Daemon was one of the other Hunters . . . one of the ones that came to this land with the Queen. "Had it not been for Laxus showing up when he did, we'd probably be in worse shape . . ." Levy trailed off. Gajeel clenched his jaw tightly then pushed off the wall and made his way to the door.

"Wait, Gajeel!" He stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. "Please calm down. We're alright, really. It's okay, so don't go doing something reckless," she pleaded. It's then that Gajeel turned around and placed his hand on her head.

"I need to get back," he said. Levy smiled then nodded, hoping he really wasn't going to blow his top and do something stupid. As he got to the door and placed his hand on the handle, he turned and said one last thing. "Oh, I saw Lucy."

"Really? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she said that a _traveler_ has come to town," he looked over his shoulder with his signature chuckle. Without another word, he left.

"Traveler?" She mumbled. Levy then gazed out the small window with a faint smile. "It's started, hasn't it?"

Out in the hallway, Gajeel stood by the wall, his eyes covered in shadow. In that instant, his fist collided with the wall, causing spider-like cracks to spread out from the indentation.

"That damn bastard," he growled.

**Crimzon: Aaaannnd . . . i think I'll leave it there. I hope you enjoyed this cutesy chapter about Gajeel -fangirl squeal- . . . Well, that was embarrassing.**

**Gajeel: And disturbing . . .**

**Crimzon: . . . If only I owned you . . . shame . . . Well, anywho REVIEW DAMNIT! I'll try to update as soon as I can. So REVIEEEEEWWWW!**


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